Depending on the manufacturing materials, many of the best office chairs can be extremely susceptible to a wide variety of stains. This can include blood stains, coffee stains, urine stains, and more.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Office chairs can be susceptible to bloodstains and other types of stains.
- Upholstered chairs typically feature a cleaning tag that will indicate what cleaning products to use to remove stains.
- You will want to act quickly when it comes to bloodstains, as they can set and become more difficult to remove.
How to Remove Blood Stains From Office Chair Upholstery
There is no “one size fits all” method for removing blood stains and other stain types from office chairs. This is because these chairs are made from a wide variety of materials, each necessitating a different cleaning process. That’s why it’s important to learn how to clean your specific office chair.
Upholstery and Fabric Types
Office chairs can be manufactured using a number of different core materials, including various upholstery types, fabric types, plastic, and more. Each of these materials may require some different cleaning methods. Getting cat hair off an office chair will need a different method as opposed to removing blood stains.
Standard Upholstery Cleaning
Traditional upholstery designs make up the lion’s share of most office chairs. The first step to cleaning a bloodstain on one of these upholstered chairs is to check for any tags on the chair itself that may indicate a cleaning method. The label may feature a code that offers shorthand for the cleaning process. Be sure to follow these instructions to avoid accidental damage.
- “W” indicates you can spot-clean the chair with water-based cleaning products.
- “S” is an indicator that you should clean your office chair with a solvent or water-free product, like a dry-cleaning solvent.
- “SW” or “WS” means you can use either water-based or a dry-cleaning product.
- “X” means the item should be professionally cleaned.
- “C” means Crypton cleaning. Generally, stains are removed with plain water and powdered enzyme detergent or Crypton upholstery cleaner. This is rare.
Wood and Plastic-based Frames
Some chairs are made from wood, plastic, or polycarbonate material. These chair types can typically be cleaned with a simple solution made from water and soup. Even so, we would recommend reading the instruction manual for a list of cleaning agents to avoid. It’s also worth taking the time to remove all the hair from your wheels while you’re cleaning up stains.
Act Quickly
Cleaning a bloodstain on your chair is not the same as fixing the hydraulics in an office chair. The most important tip when it comes to bloodstains on an office chair, or any stain, is to act quickly. This means jumping into action as soon as the stain occurs. Acting quickly should ensure the stain will not set and you will have a thoroughly cleaned chair. If you don’t act fast, the stain could be much more difficult to remove.
Avoid Direct Sunlight
In general, try to keep your office chair away from direct sunlight. Not only will this tend to highly any caked-in stains already present, but it will dull the color of the chair itself.
F.A.Q.
What’s the best way to get rid of bloodstains?
This will depend entirely on the materials used during the manufacturing process of your office chair. Some materials require water to remove a bloodstain while others cannot tolerate water.
How do you get old stains out of fabric chairs?
We would recommend using a homemade mixture of water, vinegar, and a cleaning solution to get old stains out of fabric chairs.
Can baking soda clean upholstery?
Baking soda can be a good alternative to clean light stains, though may not be effective for heavier stains such as bloodstains.
STAT: Office chairs typically last anywhere from seven to ten years before needing to be replaced. (source)
